Burner



ay 10, 1938. o. L. APPLEBY BURNER Filed April 9, 1956 Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE 1 Claim.

The present invention relates particularly to burners adapted for use in burning gas or oil, or both, under boilers or in other desired associations.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a burner assembly of the chal acter indicated so constructed and arranged that complete combustion of the fuel is effected and the combustion chamber maintained substantially free from all carbon deposits.

Another object is to provide an assembly operable in such a manner that the flames are at all times automatically prevented from working back into the blower chamber or other parts of the assembly rearwardly of the combustion chamber.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the character indicated so constructed and arranged that heat from the combustion chamber cannot travel by conduction to the rearward portions of the structure.

Finally, it is an object to provide a burner assembly that will be economical to manufacture, simple in form and construction, that consists of few parts, and that is substantial, durable, and highly efficient in its practical application.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an assembly embodying my invention, partly in section.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4--4 of Figure 1.

In the particular embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, I show at I a base upon which an electric motor 2 is mounted, the motor drive shaft showing in part at 3.

Cast integrally with base I and at right angles thereto is an upstanding annular member 4 having an air passage 5 formed therein in axial alignment with the said shaft 3. This member also has other segmental air passages formed therein and arranged about its axis as at 5, the air flow through these passages being controlled by a damper l. Passages for feeding fuel gas through the burner are shown at 8, these passages being spaced one hundred and twenty degrees apart and radially arranged relative to its axis, and dis charging through the face of the member as at 9 adjacent the circle defining the inner edges of the passages 6. A portion of the member 4 is thickened as at It! and an annular passage H is formed therein to connect the three passages 8. Gas may be fed into the burner through one passage 8 as at 12 while the other passages 8 are closed by plugs l3, or it may be fed through two or all three of the passages 8 if a larger capacity is desired.

On the member 4 is formed a boss I5, this boss having an overhanging and forwardly projecting portion 16 through which a conduit 11 passes, the

conduit discharging downwardly as at 18 near its forward end into a tube 19. If the burner is to be used for burning oil the oil is fed into the conduit I! through a pipe 20 from a source of supply not shown. When the device is used as an oil burner all three gas passages 8 are closed.

On the forward face of member 4 and in concentric relation to the axis of rotation of shaft 3 is formed an annular flange 2i, and within this flange is seated an annular member 22 of heat in: sulating material such as an asbestos-cement composition.

In the forward edge of member 22 is formed an annular seat 23. At 24 is a cylindrical member forming a combustion chamber 25, this member having one end formed as at 26 to engage seat 23. Tie rods as 2'! are mounted in member 24 and pass through member 4 and are secured by nuts as at 28, thereby binding the member 4, member 22, and member 24 into one unitary structure.

The front end of member 24 is open as at 29, and the rear end has arcuate slots as 30 formed therein in concentric relation to the axis of rotation of shaft 3, the outer edges of these slots aligning with the outer edges of the passages B. A circular opening 3| is also formed in this end of member 24 in concentric relation to said axis, this opening having substantially the same diameter as air passage 5 in member 4.

At 32 is shown a blower spindle seated on the end of the motor shaft 3 and to which it is secured by set screw 33. The forward portion of spindle 32 flares outwardly somewhat as at 34 and terminates in a flange 35, the forward end of the spindle being flat as at 36. The tube 19 is disposed to discharge against the rear of flange 35 adjacent the spindle 32 so that oil discharged therefrom onto the flange will be thrown outwardly and atomized by the centrifugal force generated by the rapidly rotating spindle.

Formed integrally with the spindle 32 are vanes 31. These vanes 31 are disposed to rotate in the blower chamber 38, the bases of the vanes being joined directly to the spindle on each edge so that air may flow along the spindle between them.

When the burner is in operation, burning fuel oil, the oil is discharged and vaporized as described. Since the vaporizing end of the spindle is integral with the vanes it follows that the air flow is simultaneous with the discharge of oil. The air is drawn into the burner through passage 5, flowing along the spindle 32 to the vanes 31. The vanes are so formed that the air so drawn in is discharged forwardly along the spindle and out into the combustion chamber through passage 3|, mixing with the oil as it passes flange 35. Air is also fed into the blower chamber 38 in desired quantities through passages 6, and allowed to discharge from chamber 38 through the slots 30 where it mixes with the oil-air mixture from 3| and 35.

The result of this construction and arrangement is, that when the burner is in operation there is a continuous flow of air along the spindle and out into the combustion chamber through passage 3|, and consequently there is no possibility of the flames working back into the blower chamber through passage 3!. Likewise, there must be, and is, a constant fiow of air outwardly through slots 30, with like effect. ber 38 is, therefore, completely protected against invasion by burning oil or gases from chamber 25, and since the enclosing peripheral wall 24 of this chamber is made of heat insulating material it follows that all of the rear portion of the burner, including the motor and spindle, is protected against damage by heat. The air flowing forwardly along the spindle 32 will, of course, act as a cooling agent therefor.

Another result of this construction and arrangement is that when the air is discharged into the combustion chamber 25 it takes on a rolling motion, due perhaps to the fact that the stream of air entering through the passage 3| is whirl- The said chaming at a high rate of speed, while the air entering through slots 30 is whirling at a diiferent rate of speed, the meeting of the two streams so completely and thoroughly atomizing and mixing the oil that complete combustion takes place and no carbon deposits are made on the walls of the chamber.

By placing the pipe I9 as described it absorbs heat from the combustion chamber and thereby assists in preparing the oil for atomization.

It is to be understood, of course, that while I have herein shown and described but one specific embodiment of the invention, changes in form, construction, and method of assembly and operation may be made within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A fluid-fuel burner of the character described comprising, axially aligned blower and combustion chambers, a partition between the chambers provided with a central passage and with other passages radially spaced therefrom, the blower chamber having an air supply passage leading thereto, a rotating spindle extending through the central passage in spaced relation to its walls, vanes associated with the spindle and disposed in the blower chamber to forceair through said passages to the combustion chamber, said spindle terminating in a radially directed fluid-fuel spreader flange disposed in the combustion chamber to discharge fluid-fuel radially into the path of travel of air discharged through the radially spaced passages and a fluid-fuel feed conduit disposed to deliver fluid fuel to the base of said spreader flange.

OWEN L. APPLEBY. 

